Narrative:
A Boeing 747-2B5B passenger jet, registered HL7445, was damaged beyond repair in a landing accident at Seoul-Gimpo (Kimpo) International Airport (SEL), South Korea. There were 198 passengers and crew members on board. The airplane operated on Korean Air Lines flight 015 from Los Angeles (LAX) to Seoul (SEL) with a refueling stop at Anchorage (ANC).
There was a visibility of 1000 m in patchy fog as flight KE015 approached Kimpo Airport's runway 14. The aircraft landed 90 metres short of the threshold and contacted a 45 deg embankment slope. The main landing gear was pushed backward and up causing a rupture in the bottom of the plane into the cargo compartment where struts were ruptured. The plane slid down the runway on its nose gear and belly. The wings were intact. No fuel tanks were ruptured. Fire
erupted in the cargo compartment area from sparks and hydraulic fluid from the ruptured struts. There was no fuel fire. The plane quickly filled with smoke. The fire entered and impinged on the seats from floor grills. Fire gutted the fuselage quickly.
Evacuation was fairly orderly. There were some injuries getting off the plane. The smoke got heavy fairly rapidly. Some survivors suffered smoke inhalation. Of the 18 crew and 208 passengers aboard, 6 crew and 9 passengers suffered fatal fire injuries. Four passengers were seriously injured.
» Flight International, 29 November 1980
accident date: 19-11-1980
type: Boeing 747-2B5B
registration: HL7445
| Status: | |
| Date: | Wednesday 19 November 1980 |
| Time: | 07:25 |
| Type: |  Boeing 747-2B5B |
| Operator: | Korean Air Lines - KAL |
| Registration: | HL7445 |
| MSN: | 21773/366 |
| First flight: | 1979-03-23 (1 year 8 months) |
| Engines: | 4 Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7Q |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 14 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 8 / Occupants: 198 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 14 / Occupants: 212 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | Seoul-Gimpo (Kimpo) International Airport (SEL) ( South Korea)
|
| Crash site elevation: | 18 m (59 feet) amsl |
| Phase: | Landing (LDG) |
| Nature: | International Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Anchorage International Airport, AK (ANC/PANC), United States of America |
| Seoul-Gimpo (Kimpo) International Airport (SEL/RKSS), South Korea | |
| Flightnumber: | KE015 |
A Boeing 747-2B5B passenger jet, registered HL7445, was damaged beyond repair in a landing accident at Seoul-Gimpo (Kimpo) International Airport (SEL), South Korea. There were 198 passengers and crew members on board. The airplane operated on Korean Air Lines flight 015 from Los Angeles (LAX) to Seoul (SEL) with a refueling stop at Anchorage (ANC).
There was a visibility of 1000 m in patchy fog as flight KE015 approached Kimpo Airport's runway 14. The aircraft landed 90 metres short of the threshold and contacted a 45 deg embankment slope. The main landing gear was pushed backward and up causing a rupture in the bottom of the plane into the cargo compartment where struts were ruptured. The plane slid down the runway on its nose gear and belly. The wings were intact. No fuel tanks were ruptured. Fire
erupted in the cargo compartment area from sparks and hydraulic fluid from the ruptured struts. There was no fuel fire. The plane quickly filled with smoke. The fire entered and impinged on the seats from floor grills. Fire gutted the fuselage quickly.
Evacuation was fairly orderly. There were some injuries getting off the plane. The smoke got heavy fairly rapidly. Some survivors suffered smoke inhalation. Of the 18 crew and 208 passengers aboard, 6 crew and 9 passengers suffered fatal fire injuries. Four passengers were seriously injured.
Classification:
Undershoot/overshoot
Sources:
» A Benefit Analysis for Cabin Water Spray Systems and Enhanced Fuselage Burnthrough Protection (CAA PAPER 2002/04)» Flight International, 29 November 1980
Photos
accident date: 19-11-1980
type: Boeing 747-2B5B
registration: HL7445
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Anchorage International Airport, AK to Seoul-Gimpo (Kimpo) International Airport as the crow flies is 6026 km (3766 miles).
Accident location: Exact; deduced from official accident report.
Distance from Anchorage International Airport, AK to Seoul-Gimpo (Kimpo) International Airport as the crow flies is 6026 km (3766 miles).
Accident location: Exact; deduced from official accident report.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
languages: 
South Korea
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Boeing 747
- 1574 built
- 9th loss
- 6th fatal accident
- 6th worst accident (at the time)
- 19th worst accident (currently)
South Korea- 6th worst accident (at the time)
- 10th worst accident (currently)
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